Former Premier Kathleen Wynne angry over Ford decision to develop parts of the Greenbelt

Former Premier Kathleen Wynne is speaking out following the auditor general’s Greenbelt report that found the process favoured developers with ties to the housing minister’s chief of staff and failed to consider environmental, agricultural and financial risks and impacts.

She said she is infuriated over not only the removal of lands from the Greenbelt, but how it was done.

“I’m pretty angry that the good work that has been done, that was cherished by so many people in the province is being undone, and I think it’s dangerous. I think it’s a dangerous path to go down. And I think it should be reversed,” Wynne told CityNews.

The two-million acre Greenbelt was formed under Dalton McGuinty’s government almost 20 years ago. Wynne was first elected in 2003 and spent six years in McGuinty’s cabinet including one year as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Wynne succeeded McGuinty as Premier before losing to Doug Ford in a crushing defeat in 2018. She retired from politics four years later.

The former premier said the outcry over the Greenbelt decision has nothing to do with party politics.

“There are many, many people who are organizing who are not happy with the decision that the premier has made, you know, clean water, clean air in a clean environment … It has to do with our future. It has to do with our children and our grandchildren. So I think that I think that this is a huge mistake missed step on the part of this government.”

The report found that the Housing Minister’s Chief of Staff provided all but one of the sites that were ultimately removed from the Greenbelt, “at least nine of which came from requests made by a few select developers and their representatives, who contacted him personally.”

“I think that the fact that this staffer was passing unmarked brown envelopes to are taking them from developers and bringing them into cabinet. It’s just unconscionable. And so I think the Premier is going to grasp at anything he can to try to discredit previous governments,” shared Wynne.

In response to the report, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he recognizes the process to choose the sites for development should have been better and they plan to implement some of the auditor generals report’s recommendations, but the government will proceed with the removal of the Greenbelt lands.

RELATED: Ford government could have sold rights to develop greenbelt for millions, experts say

One of the points Ford keeps returning to is how the previous Liberal governments had also made changes to the Greenbelt. Wynne tells CityNews this was a much different situation and only “minor boundary adjustments were made.”

“We worked with environmentalists, we worked with the very people who have been critical of the Ford government’s treatment of the Greenbelt … we’re talking about 340 acres … this is not comparable to what has happened under this government,” said Wynne.

Wynne also took exception to how Doug Ford has been describing the Greenbelt, with him referring to it as “a big scam” and parts of it as “a field with a bunch of weeds.”

“It demonstrates a lack of understanding of how the environment works. If this premier can call preservation of lands that preserves clean water, he can call that a scam … he doesn’t understand what may look like a field of weeds may protect endangered species,” explained Wynne.

“The fact is, our government under Dalton McGinty established the Greenbelt, we worked very closely with people who know that protecting source water and making sure that we have clean air. These are the lungs of the GTA.”

She acknowledges it’s possible the Greenbelt will need further adjustments, noting she absolutely thinks more lands need to be put in.

“But you can’t do it in secret. You have to do it with the people understand how how the environment works, and what’s connected to what you know. So that’s the problem with this. This decision was made to benefit developers who are building houses that have nothing to do with protecting the environment.”

Ford has also repeatedly cited the housing crisis as the reason development on the Greenbelt is needed. Wynne said it’s just Ford “grasping for justification.”

“Most of the housing that’s going to be built by these developers is not the kind of housing that people who are struggling to pay rent in Toronto are going to be able to afford and really 50,000 houses in the million and a half that we need is a drop in the bucket.”

Wynne said she can’t speculate on whether there’s an opportunity for the federal government to step in a stop the development from happening, but said she think’s it’s possible.

“Right now it doesn’t look like they’re going to but I really believe that if this government doesn’t take the advice of the Auditor General … if the Integrity Commissioner comes down and corroborates what the Auditor General has said maybe there will be an opportunity for the federal government to step in,” said Wynne.

In response to Wynne’s comments, a spokesperson from the Premier’s office said Ontario is in a housing crisis because her government “failed to build.”

“Our changes will support the construction of at least 50,000 more homes while ensuring that billions of dollars worth of community benefits, such as new roads, parks, transit, water, and health care infrastructure, as well as significant non-profit housing, are fully funded by the landowners and builders–not Ontario or municipal taxpayers,” continued the statement.

The Liberals had their own controversies while in office, including the billion dollar gas plant scandal that ended with McGuinty’s chief of staff sentenced to four months in jail. Wynne said the two incidents are very different.

“There was nothing in that decision that had to do with benefiting friends of government,” said Wynne.

Meanwhile, local advocates were at Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve (DRAP) on Tuesday along with Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles to restore environmental protections to the area.

DRAP is where about 5,000 acres of Greenbelt land in Pickering is expected to be paved over.

Stiles has called on the Premier to reverse the Greenbelt changes and fire Housing Minister Steve Clark following the auditor general’s report.